


(this love is) a long time coming

by lesmiserablol, snowandfire



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Tea Server Zuko (Avatar), after the first kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:42:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26824597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesmiserablol/pseuds/lesmiserablol, https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowandfire/pseuds/snowandfire
Summary: He closes his eyes and holds his phone to his chest for a few seconds, smiling widely and trying to control his breathing before he does something stupid like let out a victory cry in the middle of the library. He knows Zuko likes him, but reading it is different now, now that he knows it’s more than just a friendly like.(in which we see what happens *after* the big first kiss)
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 79
Kudos: 630





	(this love is) a long time coming

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by this post:https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/bisexuallsokka/629800673080475648 on tumblr, we went for it and wrote a collab fic :D

_~Sokka~_

It started like this: Zuko showed up at Sokka and Aang’s apartment feeling tired. Sokka sat down, as he always does, next to Zuko. They started the movie.

And now Aang is taking pictures of Zuko slumped against Sokka as Katara giggles behind him. At first, Zuko had just rested his head on Sokka’s shoulder, eyes unfocused on the television screen as they started watching Tangled. But then Sokka’s mind had short circuited and next thing he knew, he had lifted his arm to pull him close into his side and Zuko had immediately wrapped an arm around Sokka’s waist, his head resting on Sokka’s chest, his hair tickling Sokka’s chin as his breath evened out. 

Zuko being tired isn’t a huge surprise, and this is far from the first movie night where he has fallen asleep. It’s Sunday night, and Sokka is aware of how much Zuko pushes himself throughout the week between his shifts at the Jasmine Dragon and his college classes. 

As much as Sokka loves this movie, he finds himself extremely distracted, his mind hyper aware of every point of contact between them.

It takes all of fifteen minutes before Suki notices and points it out to the others, Toph demanding all the details in relation to Sokka’s expression at the moment. Sokka ignores all of Suki’s descriptions of him along the lines of “dreamy” and “heart eyes” and instead scowls at them.

“You guys are going to wake him up,” he hisses under his breath as Suki covers her mouth to hide her laughter as Aang’s camera flash goes off by accident. 

As if on cue, Zuko moves slightly and makes a sleepy noise, his grip around Sokka’s waist tightening just slightly as he mumbles, “Sokka? Is the movie over?”

Something in Sokka’s chest tightens as his stomach does several somersaults. His sudden onset of gooey feelings must show on his face because the others instantly dissolve into laughter, not bothering to keep quiet anymore. Sokka is too busy wondering if Zuko can hear how quickly his heart is racing to be annoyed by them.

Zuko sits up at the noise, blinking dazedly, and Sokka can’t decide if he hates his life and the universe is out to get him or if he has been blessed by the gods themselves because his best friend looks so beautiful in the low light coming from the television, his disoriented expression and small smile being too damn much for Sokka to handle right now.

(Homo intended.)

He misses the contact as Zuko pulls away, running a hand through his hair where it went flat pressed against Sokka. He gives a sheepish grin to their friends and turns to face Sokka, eyebrow quirking up. “Did I miss something?”

His voice is low and rough and again, he looks perfect, and Sokka abruptly stands up before he knows why. Zuko looks more confused and Sokka’s brain scrambles to function for a moment. 

“I’m...going to get some water,” he says quickly, and Zuko glances at their hydroflask on the coffee table. Well - it’s  _ Zuko’s  _ hydroflask, but he always lets Sokka drink from it, even if he teases that Sokka should get his own.

Before he can say anything though, Sokka turns away and starts toward the kitchen. He hears Zuko stand up behind him and isn’t surprised when a hand grabs his own. It’s fine. This is fine. They’ve held hands before. Just two dudes, holding hands, as bros do. He is distantly aware of Suki doing a wolf whistle before they disappear through the open kitchen door and close it behind them. 

“Are you okay?” Zuko asks, turning to face him and still holding his hand. His hands are always so warm, and the warmth seems to spread throughout Sokka’s body and settle comfortably over him. “You’ve been acting kinda strange all night.” 

His eyebrows are furrowed in concern, and Sokka’s chest aches with how much he cares for him. Nearly a year ago when he wandered into the Jasmine Dragon out of curiosity, he never would’ve dreamed that the cute employee would end up becoming one of his closest friends, let alone the person that he fell completely in love with. But here he is, alone in the kitchen with someone he feels like he has known his whole life and wants to know for as long as he lives. 

Sokka clears his throat. “I’m fine.”

Zuko gives him a searching look, but then he smiles. “Okay.” He yawns again and glances at the clock on the oven with a slight frown. “I hate to bail but I should go home now, I have an opening shift tomorrow. I’ll, um, see you later, then?” he asks, and Sokka nods. 

“Maybe we can get dinner tomorrow night? I feel like every time we’ve seen each other lately it’s been with the others, which is great, but, I don’t know.” Sokka shrugs. “It’s nice to have you to myself every once in a while. I miss you.”

If Sokka had known the reaction that Zuko would have to this statement, he would’ve said it a thousand times before, or maybe worn sunglasses as he said it. At the very least he could’ve emotionally prepared himself for the way that Zuko’s entire face lights up, his smile earnest and beautiful in a way that Sokka feels privileged to see so often. He wonders if Zuko smiles like that at everyone, but he’s been around him long enough to know that the answer is no. He wonders if he can see that smile every day for the rest of his life. 

“That would be great,” Zuko says, interrupting Sokka’s internal monologue, and he has to remind himself that Zuko can’t read minds but is in fact agreeing to dinner. 

“Okay. It’s your turn to choose where we go, so start thinking about it,” Sokka reminds him, already knowing they will end up at the sushi place that Zuko loves so much to the point that Sokka sometimes chooses it when it is his turn if only because he loves seeing the smile on Zuko’s face when they go. 

Zuko nods. “Okay. I will.”

Neither of them make a move to leave the kitchen or say anything else, but the silence isn’t awkward. Zuko is steadily meeting Sokka’s eyes, and they’ve been in this position enough times in the past that he knows he isn’t imagining it when Zuko’s gaze flickers down to his lips for just a moment. Distantly, Sokka realizes they’re still holding hands, and he wonders how long they’ve been standing this close and if Zuko is going to break this moment because he certainly can’t bring himself to do it. 

Zuko gives Sokka’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Thanks for letting me use you as a pillow.”

“Anytime,” Sokka says quickly, and then promptly wishes the ground beneath him would collapse and take him with it. He feels heat rise in his cheeks and briefly closes his eyes in a grimace before opening them to glance at Zuko, who laughs. 

“You’re a good friend, Sokka,” he says quietly, and the way he says it this time doesn’t bring the usual wave of disappointment that Sokka usually feels when he’s reminded that they’re just friends. 

He’s not sure who moves first, but one second their faces are a foot apart, and the next, Sokka’s lips are finally,  _ finally  _ on Zuko’s. There is no hesitation, no room for doubt, because he is kissing Zuko and Zuko is kissing him back, his free hand moving to rest on Sokka’s waist as Sokka’s hand finds the back of Zuko’s neck to pull him closer. 

It only lasts a few seconds, but it doesn’t feel short. It leaves Sokka slightly dizzy, everything having happened so quickly that his brain is still trying to process it, and when they pull back just an inch or two, he can’t stop himself from giggling like a lovesick teenager. 

Zuko’s cheeks are slightly flushed, and he laughs too, and they’re close enough for Sokka to feel the vibrations of it in his chest. 

“We just kissed,” Sokka says, unable to keep the smile off his face no matter how dorky he probably looks. 

“We did,” Zuko responds, and then adds, “Finally.”

Sokka snorts, hiding his face in Zuko’s neck for a second, his arms then moving to wrap around Zuko and hold him tightly. Zuko mirrors his movements and holds Sokka, his embrace familiar and warm and comforting, his nose nuzzling into Sokka’s neck. 

Sokka gently pulls back to look into Zuko's eyes. “Just so we’re clear, tomorrow night is definitely a date.”

Zuko’s eyes light up. “I’m more than okay with that.” 

Sokka has spent too long holding himself back from kissing Zuko in moments like these, so he indulges himself in another kiss because news flash, that’s something he can do now. Zuko smiles against his lips until Sokka tries to pull away, but the urge to stand in his kitchen for hours and kiss Zuko is too tempting so it’s more like he pushes Zuko away from him with a hand on his chest and smiles at the slight pout on Zuko’s lips. 

“You have work tomorrow,” Sokka reminds him. “You need sleep.”

“I think my mind will be too busy playing this moment in my head on repeat for me to get any sleep tonight,” Zuko admits, and it’s so cheesy and so  _ Zuko  _ that Sokka can’t help but laugh. 

“At least try. For me?” he asks, going for teasing but sounding painfully sincere, and it’s Zuko’s turn to laugh. 

“Okay. Only because I know I’ll get to see you tomorrow,” Zuko says, and he opens the kitchen door and leads the way to the front door, hand finding Sokka’s again. Sokka is grateful that this hallway is hidden from view of the living room, because it means he can give Zuko one last peck on the lips before he closes the apartment door behind him. He sighs and leans against it for a second, hugging himself tightly and letting himself grin widely at the ceiling before composing himself enough to make his way to the living room. 

The others are once again distracted by the film as Rapunzel and Eugene are trapped in the cave, and Toph turns her head in his direction at the sound of his footsteps. “Is Zuko gone?”

“Yeah, he just left,” Sokka answers, his voice more neutral than he expected. Nailed it. 

“Took him long enough. Were you two busy kissing goodnight?” she teases, and Sokka reclaims his seat on the couch. 

“Yep,” he answers, his voice only slightly higher than normal. “I kissed Zuko.”

The silence that follows is long enough that he thinks maybe they were too distracted by the movie to comprehend what he said, but after a few seconds, four heads turn in his direction. 

“What did you say?” Katara asks, eyebrows raised in surprise. 

“You didn’t actually kiss, did you?” Aang gasps.

Sokka has been waiting for this moment for what feels like a lifetime, so he forgets about playing it cool and goes straight to --

“I KISSED ZUKO!” he shouts proudly, and Katara scrambles to pause the movie as everyone starts talking at once.

“Did you kiss him first or did he kiss you?” Aang asks. 

“Rate his kissing on a scale from one to ten,” Toph demands. 

Suki smirks. “Was there tongue?” 

“Did you guys, like, talk about it?” Katara asks curiously. 

Sokka clears his throat, trying and failing to not enjoy the attention too much. “We kissed each other at the same time, eleven, a little bit, and not really but we’re going on a date tomorrow.” His eyes widen as reality sets in. “Oh. I’m going on a date tomorrow. With Zuko.” 

He’s fantasized this moment dozens of times, but nothing compares to the very real thrill of excitement, nerves, and pure happiness that runs through him at the realization. 

He and Zuko are going on a date.

* * *

_~Zuko~_

Zuko wakes up smiling. He spends an extra few moments in bed looking through the texts on his phone, the ones exchanged between him and Sokka after he got home last night. 

**_Hey! hope you got home okay :)_ **

_ I did.  _

**_i had a really good time tonight, like really good_ **

_ Me too. _

**_ive been wanting to do that for a looooong time, anyway gnight_ **

_ Goodnight.  _

He rereads the part that had made him drop the phone on his face in surprise last night.  _ I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time.  _ That meant that for a long time, however long that was, Sokka had wanted him. Thought about him. It was enough to make him giddy all over again. 

Honestly though, he had been smiling nonstop since, well, the kiss. He had been smiling on the drive home, hands firm on the steering wheel and eyes on the road but mind somewhere still in Sokka’s kitchen, thinking about Sokka’s touch, the way he looked. He’s even sort of smiling as he gets dressed for work. 

As he enters the tea shop he smiles at his Uncle too, “Good morning.” 

Uncle raises an eyebrow, “Good morning. You look like you got a good night’s sleep.” 

Zuko doesn’t even deny it. He unstacks the chairs and moves the tables into their usual formation. He even wipes some of them down for good measure, and today he’s the one who turns the sign on the door from ‘closed’ to ‘open’. 

“Are you alright?” Iroh asks. 

“I’m fine,” Zuko says, “I’ll be in the back.” 

The backroom is the place where they make the tea. And the place where the wifi connection actually works. The Jasmine Dragon technically has ‘free wifi’ even in the main area for customers, but it’s just about the weakest thing known to man. Iroh won’t improve it on principle, to encourage customers to talk to each other instead of staring down into little screens. Zuko’s secretly thankful, he knows deep down in his heart that with good internet Iroh would become a TikTok fiend. Upload tea-making tutorials to YouTube and become ‘the internet’s Uncle’ or something horrifying like that.  _ No.  _ They’re good here. 

The second Zuko walks back there he hears a little ping. It’s a message...from Sokka. Which is extremely weird. To know Sokka is to know that he wakes up late and stays up late. It’s part of his lifelong quest to eventually become nocturnal. Which is weird, because going by how the two of them dress (colors vs. varying shades of black), you’d think Zuko would wanna be the creature of the night. 

**_Morning! <3 _ **

Now Zuko’s blushing and mad about it even though there’s no one here to watch.  _ Snap out of it.  _ But wait, he realizes. He doesn’t have to. He  _ kissed  _ Sokka. They can send texts like this, if they want to. He bites down on his bottom lip as he considers what to say back. 

Finally he settles on the somewhat lame reply:  _ Good morning _ . He dithers a whole minute before adding:  _ This is early for you. Can’t sleep? _

That’s the exact moment that Mai comes in. She puts on her apron and starts boiling some water. Mai prefers to work the back and have Zuko take the orders and ring people up. She says it’s because of his warm and friendly nature. He’s pretty sure that’s a comparative thing. 

“Why are you smiling?” she asks. 

“I’m not,” he hastily stuffs his phone in his back pocket. 

“Okay, are you gonna tell me or am I gonna have to watch you look like that all day.” 

“Look like what? I don’t look like anything!” 

She narrows her eyes at him, “Did you win the lottery or something? Don’t worry, if you wanna know where to invest the money I know a guy.” 

“What? No. I didn’t win anything.”

Sokka wasn’t a prize to be won. He was a friend. Well, a bit more than a friend now. He was a good student. He told great jokes. His whole family loved him. He was a good kisser too. Thinking about that takes Zuko back to last night, Sokka’s soft lips on his, it had felt so--

“Zuko,” Mai snaps her fingers in front of his face, “Are you in there?” 

“Yeah, yeah, leave me alone,” he says quickly, and pushes open the door to the main room, “I’ll let you know if we have any special orders.” 

He doesn’t have to be looking at her as he leaves to know that she’s smirking. 

“Zuko,” Iroh says quietly, around mid-day, “Is there anything you want to tell me?” 

“We’re running out of that ginseng blend you imported from Taipei.” 

“Anything about...you, maybe?” 

“No.” 

Iroh tries again later. This time with a slightly different question. 

“You seem like you are in a good mood.” 

“Am I not always in a good mood?!” 

“No, you are not.” 

_ Ouch.  _

“Maybe I would be if you didn’t ask so many questions,” Zuko stacks four drinks on a tray, and heads out to table 7. 

He finds himself making mistakes as the day goes by. First he accidentally dumps an entire spoonful of cayenne pepper into someone’s tea instead of a dash of it for flavor. He doesn’t even notice he’s doing it. Caught as he is thinking about how it had felt to lay on Sokka last night. The fact that Sokka had asked him out on a date. A real date. 

Uncle has to come apologize for the error. Zuko stammers out an apology too. 

He also switches a few peoples’ drinks by accident. It’s a whole mess and many free coupons are handed out that day. Uncle even benches him for a few minutes to ‘gather his head’. He spends the entire entire time checking his phone in vain for a message from Sokka, and gets back in the game antsier than he left it. 

Every time the door opens and the little ‘chime’ rings Zuko looks up and thinks it might be Sokka. There is no rational reason why Sokka would come in here in the middle of the day. But just the fact that it  _ could  _ be Sokka. 

Mai steps out of the back room and notices immediately, “Expecting someone?” 

“No, no one,” Zuko insists, his face coloring red immediately. 

But the thought is still in his mind. Sokka coming in here. Cutting to the front of the line, pulling Zuko forward by the collar of his shirt and kissing him, right there in front of everybody. Dropping a few coins in the tip jar--just to complete the fantasy.  _ Oh my god.  _

If Zuko’s perfectly honest with himself, he’s had this daydream even before he and Sokka actually kissed. But now it’s so much worse. Because he doesn’t just think it would be nice. He  _ knows  _ it would be nice. It would be even nicer if Sokka came in after closing, after everyone was gone. He wonders what Sokka would be like as a boyfriend. A proper boyfriend. As  _ his  _ boyfriend. If they could even get to that. The thought makes his heart race all over again. 

The next time the door opens and he hears a little chime he looks up once again. But it’s not Sokka. It’s Aang. Just in time for his break. 

“Hey Iroh! Hey Mai!” Aang waves, and sits across from Zuko at a small corner table. 

_ Wait. Does he know?  _ Zuko considers, would Sokka have told them about the kiss...in a room full of people that included his sister? 

“Oh, here’s the book you loaned me, I really liked it,” Aang pulls out a copy of  _ The Paper Menagerie  _ and hands it to Zuko. 

Zuko takes it, “Thanks.” 

They talk about Aang’s job, he’s an assistant zookeeper, but he does a lot of volunteer work in his free time. They talk about what Aang thought of the book. Aang doesn’t mention knowing anything about the kiss. After a few minutes Aang starts to talk about music, and that’s when Zuko starts to zone out again. 

This doesn’t usually happen. Zuko considers himself a considerate friend. And he usually likes Aang’s takes on things. But today he’s just--he feels like he’s floating. Seeing Aang again has just reminded him all over again of where they both were last night. The kitchen. And Sokka. It had felt like a moment out of a dream.  _ Yeah.  _

He doesn’t realize he said it out loud. 

“Yeah? Yeah you’ll come with us to the music festival?” Aang smiles, “That’s great.” 

_ Oh no.  _ It’s too late to back out now. That would mean admitting he wasn’t paying attention. Not paying attention and thinking about kissing Sokka again. In the front room. In the back room. Maybe even in Zuko’s room...if they got to that point. He imagines Sokka’s hands on his face, Sokka’s warm breath, hearing him laugh between soft, sweet kisses.  _ And...there he goes again.  _

“You seem pretty distracted today,” Aang says, “Is it because you kissed Sokka yesterday?” 

“Keep your voice down!” 

“Sorry, I didn’t know it was a secret,” Aang looks apologetic. 

“It’s not a secret, it’s just…”

“Oh,” Aang nods, then strokes his own chin, “Was that your first kiss?” 

Zuko is going to die. He is going to die right here, at the ripe old age of eighteen. The fact that he’s acting  _ so weird _ that Aang suspects that might have been his first kiss ever (it wasn’t). 

He sighs, “It wasn’t. Wait, did Sokka tell you guys about it?” 

“Yeah,” Aang admits sheepishly, “He said it was nice though! Apparently you kiss good!” 

Honestly, Zuko doesn’t mind that Sokka told them. And he kind of likes the fact that Sokka said it was nice. It wasn’t Zuko’s first kiss. Not by a mile. But it was the first that meant something, at least the first in a while. 

“It’s pretty new,” Zuko explains slowly, “I don’t really wanna, um, put pressure on it.” 

Aang nods very seriously, and they don’t talk about it again. But on the inside, Zuko’s glowing. 

It’s the end of the day by the time Iroh finally manages to get it out of him. Zuko’s been wondering how and when to tell him all day. He’s gonna have to eventually and Iroh’s opinion means the world to him. Iroh himself means the world to him. He just doesn’t want it to be made  _ a thing _ . He’s not sure if Uncle knows he likes boys. But Uncle knows and likes Sokka, so that’s something. 

It does nothing for the anxiety though. For some reason the tightness in his chest that happens whenever he talks to someone he feels is his parent is something that hasn’t gone away. He looks at the cash register and not at Uncle when he says it, but he decides to come out with it--rip off the band-aid. 

“I’m going on a Sokka with date. I mean, I’m going on a date with Sokka.” 

Uncle just blinks at him for a second, then the corners of his mouth turn up in a smile, “I did always see a spark between the two of you.”

“It’s not, it’s not a big deal. It’s just a first date.” 

The way Uncle’s eyes are a little watery, runs entirely counter to the notion that this is to be ‘not a big deal’. But maybe it has less to do with Sokka and more to do with the fact that Zuko is sharing something of his own. Uncle always seems to like it when Zuko just talks to him. 

Uncle reaches down to the cabinet under the counter, where he keeps some of his personal effects. He pulls out a pair of rainbow crocs. They’re the most heinous things Zuko has ever seen. But it’s also touching. Uncle suspected Zuko might be gay and bought these horribly ugly shoes just for the chance to misguidedly support him. 

“I am glad I may finally have a use for these.” 

Zuko facepalms right then and there, “If you wear those I’m never speaking to you again.” 

Uncle takes this declaration as an excuse to enter a one armed hug. He pats Zuko’s back a few times, before withdrawing and busying himself with the cash register. 

“Do not stay out too late,” Uncle says, even though Zuko is fully an adult and Iroh doesn’t have to parent him like that anymore, “Take him to the sushi place you like. He will like that.”

It’s nice. Having someone who cares what time he gets in. Where he goes. What he feels. 

“I won’t stay out too late,” Zuko promises. He means it. 

He checks his phone again. There’s another text from Sokka. 

**_nah i fell asleep fine, i wanted to message you first thing so i just woke up for a bit and then went back to bed_ **

_ Oh. That was really nice of you. Met Aang today. _

**_oh, you did? he uh, didnt mention, sorry i was just really excited i didnt know if maybe you didnt want people to know_ **

_ No it’s fine. I told someone too. Sort of. Couldn’t really get my mind off it _

**_fuck, me either_ **

Zuko pauses for a second, then summons the courage to send the next text. 

_ I like you _

**_i like you too x_ **

_ X? _

**_it means a kiss_ **

_ Oh.  _

_ X  _

**_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx :)_ **

Zuko looks down at his phone at the line of x’s. That’s...a lot of kisses. Not even a date in, and he’s done for. He touches his own mouth, remembers the feeling of Sokka’s lips on his. He adds a calendar event marked ‘date’ to his google calendar. He goes out to the front room and flips the sign on the door from open to closed. Stacks up the chairs one by one. He can’t stop smiling. 

* * *

_~Sokka~_

Sokka starts to groan as his alarm starts, then he cuts himself off immediately. His brain may still be 80% asleep, but there are at least three things he is sure of right now: 

1.) he and Zuko kissed last night

2.) he and Zuko are going on a date tonight 

3.) as soon as he texts Zuko, he can go back to sleep for another two hours

His attitude significantly improved, Sokka reaches for his phone on the nightstand but his fingers come up empty. He frowns as he peeks one eye open and realizes he was too distracted reliving the kiss in his mind to charge his phone. Following the source of the obnoxious chimes leads him to finding his phone on the ground. He turns off the alarm (cleverly labeled as “ZUKO!!!! <3”), trying to blink away the blurriness from his eyes as he unlocks it and opens his messages. 

**_Morning! <3 _ **

Man, he is a pro at this romance thing. Sure, maybe he spent the better part of a year doing nothing about his crush and hoping it wouldn’t become a big deal and accidentally letting it become a Huge Deal. But now that he knows Zuko likes him back (!!!!!), the rest of this is going to be smooth sailing. 

He smiles in satisfaction before glancing at the name on the top of the screen and doing a double take. He sent the text to Katara by accident. 

**_wait sorry that was for zuko_ **

_ Ouch. No good morning wishes for your favorite sister?? _

**_give me two seconds geez i was just about to say good morning to u anyway_ **

**_< 3 _ **

_ Smh your bro finally kisses a boy and it’s like u never existed...I see how it is  _

**_katara plz u know zuko could never replace you. he doesn’t catch any of my lego video game references like u do_ **

_ And don’t you forget it _

Sokka smiles and goes to text Zuko (but. For real this time). 

**_Morning! <3_ **

He watches in excitement when after a few moments, it shows that Zuko has read it. He sees that Zuko is typing on and off and Sokka’s eyes go unfocused as he watches the three dots jumping on the screen. 

He wakes up again with a jump as someone bangs on his door. 

“Sokka!” Aang calls out. “I saw your car in the parking lot, don’t you have class?”

Sokka’s head feels very slow and he is just so  _ comfortable  _ under his blanket. What is Aang talking about? His alarm would’ve gone off by now, he set one to text Zuko and then one for later to get up for class. He reaches for his phone as Aang pokes his head in the room.

“It’s 9:18,” Aang says. He’s dressed in shorts and covered in sweat like he just returned from the gym, and Sokka blinks at him for a second before his brain processes what was just said and he suddenly feels wide awake.

“What the hell?” he gasps. Why didn’t his-? 

Oh. His screen shows an empty battery before it goes black again.

He jumps out of bed and Aang leaves, Sokka shouting “thank you!” in the direction of the closed door. He only spends a second looking at his closet before deciding he will come back later to change for the date. For now, he throws on an old high school band shirt, pulls some sweats over his boxers, and grabs his laptop bag. 

He only goes a little over the speed limit and by some miracle, finds an empty parking spot in the first lot he tries. He slips in the back of the lecture hall a few minutes into his 9:30 class and tries to catch his breath as he pulls up his notes, ignoring the few glances in his direction. He realizes he forgot a ponytail and runs his fingers through his hair to comb out the bedhead.

If only he had remembered to charge his phone last night or stayed awake after texting Zuko, his anxiety wouldn’t currently be through the roof and he wouldn’t be late to class. Nothing he can do about it now, he figures he’ll be able to laugh about it when he tells Zuko about it on their date tonight. 

Date. With Zuko. Tonight. 

Sokka takes a deep breath and tries to fight the huge smile threatening to overwhelm his face. Maybe he had a rough start to his morning, but it doesn’t matter. Soon, he will be on a date with the man of his dreams. He instinctively checks his phone to see if he got a text back when he once again sees the empty battery. He groans internally and pulls up his Facebook to message Suki. 

**_heeeeey my phone is dead. can i meet you somewhere on campus to use your charger?_ **

_ bold of you to assume i come to campus prepared  _

_ (i’ll be outside the library in an hour) _

**_thank you!!_ **

Sokka closes the window and glances at the clock on his laptop. 

Only fifty four more minutes, twelve seconds...

...and eight hours until his date with Zuko. 

He can do this. 

That’s the mantra that goes through his head as he walks to the library an hour later, his bag now holding his graded essay inside. It’s only a few sheets of paper, but the low score on it seems to add ten extra pounds to his bag. Writing essays is not his favorite thing to do. In fact, he may even say that it is his  _ least  _ favorite thing to do, so he is not a big fan of all the writing and analyzing he has to do for his general courses. He usually asks Zuko for help, but he knew that his friend had an exam of his own to prepare for, and Sokka didn’t want to bother him. 

Before he can start mentally planning the extra credit he’ll have to do to make up for the essay grade, his mind is once again distracted by Zuko, Zuko’s lips, Zuko’s smile, Zuko’s hands…

“Sokka!”

Suki is waving at him from a nearby picnic table in front of the library, her shout shaking him from his Zuko-induced stupor. 

There’s a knowing smirk on her lips as he approaches. “I thought you were distracted by Zuko before you kissed him, but this is another level.”

“Ha ha,” Sokka says flatly, taking a seat. 

“What’s with the hair down? I know Zuko likes it that way, but I thought it’s hard to take notes with it in your face?”

“Zuko likes my hair like this?” Sokka asks quickly. 

Suki rolls her eyes. “Now that we have established that you two definitely like each other, I can spill all the secrets he has told me while pining over you. Yes, he thinks you look great with your hair down. His brain short circuits when you run your fingers through it.”

“He told you that?” Sokka hides his face in his hands to cover his dopey smile. “I still can’t believe this is real. How long have you known?”

“When did you two meet?” she smirks. “Really, we could all see it day one, even if it took you two a little longer to figure it out, and even longer to do something about it.”

Before he can zone out in his thoughts about Zuko again, she pulls out her phone cord and portable charger from her backpack and slides it on the table to him. Sokka takes it and plugs his phone in gratefully. “Thanks, you’re a lifesaver.”

“I know,” she says simply. “Do you want to get lunch with Toph and I today? We’re getting pizza at that place south of the student center at 1.”

“I’ll be there,” he answers. 

She stands up and grabs her things. “Sweet. You can charge until then, I should probably head to my next class now.”

Sokka gives her a wave but stops her after she’s taken a few steps away. “You forgot your coffee!”

Suki turns to face him, walking backwards. “Finish it!” she shouts, then turns back around and walks off. 

Sokka shrugs and grabs the cup. He had expected it to be almost empty and lifted it quickly. He is surprised that it feels nearly completely full, and in his moment of misjudgement he tips the cup over and spills it all over his shirt. 

A few nearby students notice and he just stares down at the lukewarm coffee staining his shirt with a resigned sigh. Thank goodness he has an extra one in his car. 

Or at least, he  _ had  _ an extra shirt in his car. He double checks everywhere before resigning to a stained shirt for the rest of the day and cleans himself up as best as he can with some napkins and a half full water bottle. The stain is still there and he smells like coffee, but at least the shirt isn’t sticky anymore. He crosses his arms over his chest as he walks back to campus, hiding most of the stain and finding another table to take refuge at until his next class. 

Lunch consists of more teasing from his friends that he bears proudly when in the past he would try and pretend he wasn’t a huge pining mess. He spins Suki around in a hug when she reveals that not only does she have an extra sweatshirt in her car that he can wear to hide the coffee stain, but it is Zuko’s sweatshirt that he left behind when the two of them carpooled last week. 

Having Zuko’s scent with him helps him through the rest of the afternoon as he makes it through his shift working at the library. He walks around and puts away books with his headphones quietly playing music, and as usual, his thoughts drift toward Zuko. 

Realizing it has been several hours since his good morning text, he pulls out his phone and ducks into an empty row of shelves to open his messages, ignoring the notifications asking for his attention after hours of being too busy with class or work. Right now, he only wants to talk to Zuko.

_ Good morning _ .  _ This is early for you. Can’t sleep? _

Sokka snorts. 

**_nah i fell asleep fine, i wanted to message you first thing so i just woke up for a bit and then went back to bed_ **

He didn’t mean to get distracted by his phone while on the clock, but when Zuko immediately responds, he finds it hard to want to put the phone away now. They send a few messages back and forth and Sokka barely manages to not squeal out loud when Zuko tells him:  _ I like you _

He closes his eyes and holds his phone to his chest for a few seconds, smiling widely and trying to control his breathing before he does something stupid like let out a victory cry in the middle of the library. He knows Zuko likes him, but reading it is different now, now that he knows it’s more than just a friendly like. 

**_i like you too x_ **

_ X? _

Sokka laughs to himself, shaking his head. 

**_it means a kiss_ **

_ Oh.  _

_ X  _

Sokka doesn’t bother holding himself back in his next text. 

**_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx :)_ **

“Excuse me, sir?” 

Sokka jumps and looks up from his phone to see Aang grinning at him and he sighs. 

“Scared the shit out of me, dude,” Sokka says. 

“Sorry,” Aang says, only looking slightly remorseful. “Hmm, I wonder who you could be texting that would make you smile like that.”

Sokka lightly punches his arm as Aang laughs quietly. “Can I help you?” 

“I’m just on my way to work, I walked by and saw you and thought, what would Suki do? The answer of course was to tease Sokka for texting Zuko while he’s supposed to be working.”

“Hey, Zuko is also at work texting me,” Sokka points out. “And apparently he was also gossiping with you earlier.”

“He was on break,” Aang counters. “He seemed just as out of it as you do now. You two are cute. Anyway, good luck on your date tonight! I’ll see you later!” 

Sokka nods, ignoring the butterflies in his stomach. “Thanks. Have fun at work.” 

He watches Aang bounce away and reluctantly pockets his phone. 

He’s meeting Zuko at 6:30 (to no one's surprise, they’re going to get sushi) which leaves him an hour after work to make himself more presentable. 

“Please pick up,” he mutters as he hears the phone ring again before it goes to Aang’s voicemail and he sighs. Aang is always too busy with his job at the zoo to answer, and even if he did, Sokka knows there is nothing he could do. He can’t leave during his shift and Sokka doesn’t have time to drive there, drive back, and get ready. 

He stares at their locked apartment door sadly, knowing that his house keys are on the other side, hanging on a hook. The office is closed, so he resigns himself to going on the most anticipated date of his lifetime in sweatpants and his date’s own sweatshirt. So much for being a pro at romance. At least he knows Zuko will like his hair. 

He almost laughs out loud when he steps outside to discover that the sprinkles of rain he felt earlier have turned into a steady, if light, pour. He walks under awnings when he can, his pace quick as people around him take shelter from the rain. He walks by a florist that is hurrying to pull inside an outside display of flowers and Sokka turns around and helps the old gentleman with the other side of his table and carries it inside with him. 

The man’s accent is thick as he thanks Sokka, and Sokka gives him a smile before his eyes catch on a bouquet of lilies and a voice in the back of his mind reminds him that those are Zuko’s favorite flowers. He tries to pay for them but the man insists that he take them for free, and Sokka only agrees after leaving the cash he has on him in the tip jar. 

He probably looks like an interesting sight. Sweatpants, a sweatshirt, the rain making his loose hair stick to his face, his upper body trying to shelter the flowers as much as he can as he walks to the sushi restaurant a few blocks away. 

To complete the picture, he can’t stop smiling. The day may have been a major shit show, but  _ he is going on a date with Zuko _ , and nothing could possibly dampen the happiness he feels at that thought or the thrill of excitement as he pictures handing Zuko the flowers and possibly being rewarded with a kiss or two. 

* * *

_~Zuko~_

  
  


Zuko is nervous and he has no idea why. This is  _ Sokka.  _ Sokka knows what he looks like. He knows that it isn’t easy to get him to open up. Sokka put in the time and did it anyway. Sokka kissed him. More than once. On the mouth. From the look in his eye, he had wanted to do it again. This would be fine. A date would be fine. 

He barely has any time after his shift to head back to his apartment and change. He doesn’t even know what would be appropriate to wear. Miyako Sushi & Grill isn’t the most formal place. But it’s not about the place. It’s about seeing Sokka. In the end he decides on a plain black shirt and jeans. He spends some time in front of the mirror in the bathroom, adjusting and readjusting his fringe. 

Sokka’s already there when he arrives. He’s soaked with rain. Hair loose and slick against his face. The sweatshirt he’s wearing looks familiar. It’s Zuko’s sweatshirt. And he has flowers. Lilies. They’re Zuko’s favorite flower.  _ He remembered.  _

“For me?” Zuko asks, because today, him-and-Sokka being together, it’s still a little bit on the border of unbelievable. 

“No, it’s for that guy over there, of course they’re for you dude,” Sokka says, handing them to him, “Sorry, I look, well, you know. I’ve looked better.” 

Zuko takes the bouquet in his hand, and holds it close, looking down at it, he means to say that it’s perfect, “You’re perfect.” 

“Am I now?” Sokka raises an eyebrow. 

“You know what I meant!” Zuko says, “I meant. The flowers.” 

No one’s ever looked at him the way Sokka does just then. Like he’s precious. Two minutes in and Zuko feels the heat and color rising in his face already.  _ Damn it.  _ But he doesn’t mind as much as usual. Sokka wants him here. He wants to be here together. 

Zuko feels like a complete idiot, just holding on to his flowers while Sokka goes up to the counter and asks for a table for two. He’s just listening to Sokka’s voice. Looking at his face. Wanting desperately to be kissed again. 

He follows Sokka to the empty booth they’re directed to and puts the flowers down next to him. 

“So, uh,” Zuko looks up at him, “Hey.” 

“Hey,” Sokka reaches out across the table and puts his hand on Zuko’s, “You’re really cute, you know that?” 

No, Zuko does not know that. Zuko is ‘standoff-ish’ and ‘difficult’ to most. According to his dad he was ‘weak’ and ‘a coward.’ According to Toph he’s ‘sparky’ and ‘free older brother figure.’ But not  _ cute.  _ Never  _ cute.  _

“If anyone’s cute it’s you, you’re wearing  _ my _ sweatshirt to our first date.” 

Sokka doesn’t get to reply. As the server arrives. 

“Hello, I’m Babby I’m going to be taking care of y’all this evening, can I get you started with anything to drink?” she asks. 

“Just water for me thanks,” Sokka says. 

“Me too,” Zuko says. 

They both take a menu. Sokka opens his and starts to peruse. But Zuko doesn’t even glance at his own. 

“You’re already sure, huh?” Sokka asks. 

“I come here a lot.”

Sokka closes his menu, “Then you can order for me too, I trust you fully.” 

“You sure about that?” 

“Uh-huh, do your worst tea boy.” 

“Hey just because you had me saved as that in your phone for two weeks doesn’t mean you can still call me that.” 

“Sorry would you prefer minecraft master? Spoiler of movies? Cuddle machine? Person-I-couldn’t-stop-thinking-about-to-save-my-life?” 

“ _ None of those, _ ” Zuko replies, trying to feign annoyance even as he laughs. It’s not his fault Sokka’s jokes always seem to get to him. 

“Noted, noted,” Sokka smiles. 

When the server comes back Zuko orders a dragon roll for himself. A rainbow roll for Sokka. She comes out first with their water, then with two small bowls of miso soup. 

The conversation flows easily. It always has with them. Zuko doesn’t know why he was nervous. Just because it’s a ‘date’ now, doesn’t mean they’re no longer friends. All it means really is that now whenever their legs bump under the table Zuko doesn’t have to feel bad about it. He doesn’t have to feel bad about just looking at Sokka. Drinking in every inch of the way he looks. Letting his eyes rove Sokka’s face. That smile. Those eyes. Zuko’s been in love for so long he barely remembers what a before felt like. 

They both eat their sushi rolls with chopsticks. Zuko’s form is perfect, he’s been eating food with chopsticks for years. It doesn’t even take much concentration. Sokka’s needs work though. 

His mouth moves faster than his brain and the words just sort of come out, “Baby,  _ come on _ , that’s not how you hold chopsticks.” 

_ Baby.  _ It’s not something that Zuko really calls people. But Sokka’s on a date with him. He’s focusing so hard trying to work his chopsticks right. Zuko wants to kiss him right here in the restaurant. He  _ has  _ to call him baby. He hopes that it’s okay. 

Sokka looks surprised for a second, then his expression goes all soft, “Why don’t  _ you  _ show me?” 

Zuko stops him to adjust his hands. Moving his index finger in place. Then demonstrating with his own pair of chopsticks. Sokka copies him. He’s a quick study. So of course his next tries are perfect. 

“You pick up things really fast, you know. You’re a really smart guy.” 

Again, that surprise in his eyes. Do people not tell him that?  _ They should tell him that.  _ Zuko will tell him that. Often, as much as possible before it gets annoying. Because he’s brilliant. Sokka’s  _ brilliant _ . 

At the end of the date, Sokka pays. He says it’s because of that first time they met at the tea shop. When he realized he forgot his wallet, Zuko gave him his tea on the house. Sokka leaves a 25% tip. 

“Generous,” Zuko mentions as they’re walking out. 

“Well, I got pretty lucky, I thought I should pay it forward,” Sokka nudges a little closer to him, and takes his hand as he says it. So it’s obvious the luck he’s talking about is this. Them. Together. 

Sokka insists on walking him home, he’s holding his hand the entire time. He swings it a little, back and forth. Zuko loves the way the dim yellow light of the streetlamps falls across Sokka’s face. He loves the fact that it’s dark out right now, and it’s a quiet street. It sort of feels like they’re the only two people in the world. 

There’s still a few blocks till Zuko’s apartment building, but he has to tell him. He has to tell him  _ now.  _

“I had a really good time.”

Sokka takes this as a cue to pull him close and press a kiss against his lips. It’s more than welcome. He sinks into it and kisses back. Sokka’s hair is dry by now, but he likes the way it looks around his face.  _ Pretty _ . Sokka’s pretty and smart and kind. And oh. By the way he kisses him. Sweet and warm and with all the care in the world. Sokka is  _ his  _ now. Zuko can just feel it. 

“I had a really good time too,” Sokka says. 

“Sorry,” Zuko says, “I know this wasn’t really a goodnight. We still have a few blocks.” 

“Zuko...you don’t need an excuse to kiss me anymore. I like you. I  _ want  _ to be with you.” 

A lot of words come to mind. Sweet, sappy things that Zuko usually doesn’t give himself license to think about. Park dates with Sokka. Picnics with Sokka. Movie dates. Dates where they don’t even have to do anything special and just be around each other. All the soft squishy things that he wants and thinks he might just be able to ask for. 

Zuko throws himself into his arms. Right there in the middle of the street. It’s not his fault that he feels too much at all times. No matter what it is. Usually frustration, sometimes anger, and this time love. More than he knows what to do with. He lets Sokka hold him and put his hands in his hair. 

“Or hug?” Sokka rubs his back gently, sounding slightly confused, “Don’t really need an excuse to do that either...you never really did but now you  _ definitely  _ don’t.” 

“You okay?” Sokka asks after a couple of seconds. Zuko’s just holding on. He likes the feel of him. It feels very safe here. On this random street corner. In this random neighborhood three blocks from Miyako Sushi & Grill. Being held by someone that wants to hold him back and is currently pressing a kiss into his hair. 

“I’m happy,” Zuko says, and he pulls away, rather reluctantly, knowing that he is acting like a complete sap. 

The universe’s never really shied away from giving him its worst. But he’s never really gotten it’s  _ best  _ like this before. It pushes away any self-consciousness that he usually has. Because the things Sokka says and the way he says them make Zuko want to trust him. He’s always trusted him. He doesn’t fall asleep during movies and cuddle with just anyone. He’s typically quite careful about all of that. With Sokka he doesn’t have to be. 

Sokka kisses him one more time before they start walking again. Before they grab for each other’s hands like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, interlace their fingers, and turn the corner. 

“I’m happy too, it’s not everyday I get to go out with my two-in-one.” 

“Two-in-one?” 

“Best friend and boyfriend!” Sokka explains, “If that’s, if that’s cool with you?” 

“Yeah,” Zuko says, while his stomach does a few flips, and his heart does jumping jacks for joy, “I’d like that.” 

“Always liked that place. Great deal. For $37, I got great sushi  _ and  _ a boyfriend.” 

“Sokka, seriously?” 

“That’s not what I meant, okay, okay, I apologize, you’re  _ priceless.  _ Beyond value.” 

“Stop it,” Zuko says, he’s blushing again, but at this point it doesn’t matter if Sokka can tell or see. As far as he can tell, Sokka  _ likes  _ having this effect on him. 

“Make me.” 

They’re never gonna make it home if they keep stopping to kiss like this. But Zuko doesn’t care. He’s waited his whole life for a person like Sokka. For a moment just like this. 

**Author's Note:**

> we can be found at @bisexuallsokka and @bluberry-spicehead on tumblr

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [(this love is) a long time coming [Podfic]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27081667) by [Rionaa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rionaa/pseuds/Rionaa)




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